The invention relates to creating high resolution images.
Digital image processing involves capturing, manipulating and analyzing digital information. A digital imaging device can capture optical images and convert them to digital format for further processing. In a typical digital imaging system, optical components may be used to focus an optical image onto an array of pixel sensors that electrically capture the image and output analog signals, which are then converted by analog-to-digital converters into digital signals for further processing.
High resolution digital image acquisition is typically available in many types of image scanning devices, including copy machines, facsimile machines, document scanners, electronic white boards, and cameras that use either film or high resolution digital sensors. In such devices, to accurately capture fine detail in text, a photograph, or a drawing, high resolution image acquisition equipment is needed.
An optical image is a continuously varying array of shades and colors. In a digitization process, an image may be sampled into a rectangular array of pixels, with each pixel having an (x, y) coordinate that corresponds to its location within the image. The number of pixels in a digital image depends on how finely the image is sampled.
A digital camera""s cost is a function of its resolution. The higher its resolution the more expensive the digital camera. For example, to capture an 8xc2xdxc3x9711 document using a 300-dots-per-inch (DPI) scan requires an image resolution of 2550xc3x973300 pixels. Inexpensive digital cameras (including still-shot cameras and video cameras) have resolutions far below this and thus cannot capture images with the desired detail.
Thus, a need arises for a technique and mechanism to generate high resolution images using low resolution digital imaging devices.
In general, in one embodiment, the invention features a digital imaging system that includes a camera to capture a plurality of images representing a scene, a processor, and a program executable on the processor to align the images with respect to a reference image and to combine the images into a composite image that represents the scene.
Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.